A green light for sustainable investments June 15, 2020 The aftershock of the Covid-19 pandemic will be felt by the economy and our financial markets for years to come, despite the encouraging signs of businesses beginning to open up. Friday’s figures revealed that the economy contracted by 20.4 per cent in April, while the Office for Budget Responsibility recently warned that the crisis could [...]
Stressed about your finances in the coronavirus pandemic? You’re not alone June 13, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has brought about significant financial unease among UK workers, a survey has found. Two-in-five people who work for larger companies reported an increase in financial anxiety in the wake of the pandemic, according to Close Brothers research. Only 54 per cent of workers felt they were financially prepared for the crisis. Meanwhile, [...]
Brits turn their back on cash during lockdown as contactless payments jump to £957m June 10, 2020 The average Brit has gone 44 days since using cash as new research reveals lockdown has accelerated the pivot to contactless payments. Customer data from Nationwide shows that tap-and-pay transactions have increased 44 per cent since the week of 23 March, when Britain was placed on lockdown. Nationwide members made 78.5m contactless between 23 March [...]
Q&A: Why do markets rise even when the outlook is bleak? June 9, 2020 | City Talk The global economy is on track for its worst recession in nearly 100 years, yet April was the market’s best monthly performance in three decades and the S&P 500 has just turned positive for 2020. Why? The first quarter of 2020 has been tough for the global economy in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. [...]
Clean technologies and climate policy: the global financial crisis and Covid-19 June 3, 2020 | City Talk A lot has changed for clean technologies since the global crisis in 2008. As investors in climate change, this is hugely encouraging. It is striking just how much has changed for clean technologies and climate policy between the financial crisis in 2008 and the one we face today. As climate change investors, this gives us [...]
Covid-19: The golden age of investing comes with a silver lining June 3, 2020 | Sponsored In financial markets, there are no crystal balls, only things we know and things we do not – known knowns, and known unknowns. Both can help us to guide our decisions as investors. When faced with uncertainties or black swan events, investors have typically responded with a rush to precious metals. Gold has historically maintained [...]
Invest in knowledge to make your trades go further June 3, 2020 | Sponsored “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest,” once quipped US founding father, Benjamin Franklin. While the advice of long-dead polymaths can usually be disregarded in the context of modern investment, this maxim has stood the test of time. The primary reason an investment might fail is a lack of understanding. The democratisation of financial [...]
Funding the Covid-19 recovery: Seize the opportunity to build a better tax system June 2, 2020 The suspension of huge parts of the economy coupled with an unprecedented package of government support measures mean that tax revenues are falling while public spending is surging. A leaked Treasury assessment estimated a £337bn budget deficit this year, nearly seven times the forecast in March’s budget. Analysts expect the debt-to-GDP ratio to be near [...]
Why global cities can still thrive despite Covid-19’s impact June 1, 2020 | City Talk The most connected part of global cities could be of even greater value despite an increase in remote working. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated our digital future with remote working set to become the norm for many people. But although fewer people will be travelling into cities each day to work in the knowledge economy, [...]
Dividend bear markets: the grizzly facts May 29, 2020 | City Talk With companies around the world drastically cutting dividends, we’ve looked at 149 years of data to see what’s happened previously at such times and what investors might expect next. Dividends are expected to be slashed by 25% to 50% across the globe this year compared with 2019. This will be an unwelcome (if not entirely [...]